A SDN controller calculates forwarding paths for a traffic flow based on SDN technology. The controller determines a maximum flow rate and flow rate identify of each forwarding path, generates ingress flow table entries based on packet characteristic information of the traffic flow, the flow rate identify and an output port of an ingress node on each forwarding path, and sends the ingress flow table entries and maximum flow rate and flow rate identify to the ingress node; generates intermediate flow table entry for each intermediate node base on the packet characteristic information, flow rate identify and an and the output port of each intermediate node, and send each intermediate flow table entry to corresponding intermediate node; generates an egress flow table entry based on packet characteristic information and an output port of an egress node for sending the traffic flow, and sends the egress flow table entry to the egress node.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A method of generating forwarding table entries, applicable to a software defined network (SDN) controller, wherein, the method comprising: calculating a plurality of forwarding paths for a traffic flow based on a topology of an SDN network; determining a maximum flow rate and a flow rate identity of each of the forwarding paths; generating a plurality of ingress flow table entries based on packet characteristic information of the traffic flow, the flow rate identity of each of the forwarding paths and an output port of an ingress node on each of the forwarding paths; generating an intermediate flow table entry for each of an intermediate node on each of the forwarding paths based on the packet characteristic information of the traffic flow, the flow rate identity of each of the forwarding paths and an output port of each intermediate node on each of the forwarding paths; generating an egress flow table entry based on the packet characteristic information of the traffic flow and an output port via which the traffic flow is sent by an egress node; and sending the maximum flow rate and the flow rate identity of each of the forwarding paths and the ingress flow table entries to the ingress node, each intermediate flow table entry to each corresponding intermediate node on each of the forwarding paths, and the egress flow table entry to the egress node.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein in each of the ingress flow table entries, a match field at least comprises the packet characteristic information and a flow rate identity; an instruction field comprises at least an output port of the ingress node on a forwarding path, an action of adding a flow rate identity and an action of sending a packet with the flow rate identity through the output port of the ingress node on the forwarding path; in each intermediate flow table entry, a match field at least comprises the packet characteristic information and a flow rate identity; an instruction field at least comprises an output port of an intermediate node on a forwarding path, an action of sending a packet with a flow rate identity through the output port of the intermediate node on the forwarding path; in the egress flow table entry, a match field at least comprises the packet characteristic information; an instruction field at least comprises the output port of the egress node, an action of removing a flow rate identity and an action of sending the packet without a flow rate identity through the output port of the egress node.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein calculating the plurality of forwarding paths for the traffic flow based on the topology of the SDN network comprises: receiving a first packet of the traffic flow sent by the ingress node; determining the egress node of the traffic flow in the topology of the SDN network; and calculating a plurality of forwarding paths between the ingress node and the egress node for the traffic flow based on the topology of the SDN network.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein calculating the plurality of forwarding paths for the traffic flow based on the topology of the SDN network comprises: determining the ingress node and the egress node of the traffic flow based on a pre-defined traffic flow characteristic list, and calculating a plurality of forwarding paths between the ingress node and the egress node for the traffic flow based on a network topology of an SDN forwarding domain and link states maintained by the SDN controller.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the maximum flow rate and the flow rate identity of each of the forwarding paths comprises: determining the maximum flow rate of each of the forwarding paths based on bandwidth of each link on each of the forwarding paths; sorting the forwarding paths based on respective maximum flow rates of the forwarding paths, setting a flow rate identity for each of the forwarding paths in an order of the sorted forwarding paths.
6. An apparatus of generating forwarding table entries, applicable to a software defined network (SDN) controller, comprising: a forwarding path calculating unit, to calculate a plurality of forwarding paths for a traffic flow based on a software defined network (SDN) topology; a rate identity setting unit, to determine a maximum flow rate and a flow rate identity of each of the forwarding paths; a flow table entry generating unit, to generate a plurality of ingress flow table entries based on packet characteristic information of the traffic flow and the flow rate identity of each of the forwarding paths and an output port of an ingress node on each of the forwarding paths, generate an intermediate flow table entry for each of an intermediate node on each of the forwarding paths based on the packet characteristic information of the traffic flow, the flow rate identity of each of the forwarding paths and an output port of each intermediate node on each of the forwarding paths, and generate an egress flow table entry for an egress node of the traffic flow based on the packet characteristic information of the traffic flow and an output port via which the egress node sends the traffic flow; and a sending unit, to send the maximum flow rate and the flow rate identity of each of the forwarding paths and the ingress flow table entries to the ingress node, send each intermediate flow table entry to each corresponding intermediate node on each of the forwarding paths, and send the egress flow table entry to the egress node.
7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein in each of the ingress flow table entries, a match field at least comprises the packet characteristic information and the flow rate identity; an instruction field comprises at least the output port of the ingress node on a forwarding path, an action of adding a flow rate identity and an action of sending a packet with the flow rate identity through the output port of the ingress node on the forwarding path; in each intermediate flow table entry, a match field at least comprises the packet characteristic information and a flow rate identity; an instruction field at least comprises an output port of an intermediate node on a forwarding path, an action of sending a packet with a flow rate identity through the output port of the intermediate node on a forwarding path; in the egress flow table entry, a match field at least comprises the packet characteristic information; an instruction field at least comprises the output port of the egress node, an action of removing a flow rate identity and an action of sending the packet without a flow rate identity through the output port of the egress node.
8. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein, further comprising a receiving unit; the receiving unit is to receive the first packet of the traffic flow sent by the ingress node; the forwarding path calculating unit is to determine the egress node of the traffic flow in the SDN topology, and calculate a plurality of forwarding paths between the ingress node and the egress node for the traffic flow based on the SDN topology.
9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the rate identity setting unit is to determine the maximum flow rate of each of the forwarding paths based on bandwidth of each link on each of the forwarding paths, and set a flow rate identity for each of the forwarding paths based on an order of the forwarding paths sorted based on respective maximum flow rates of the forwarding paths.
10. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the forwarding path calculating unit is to determine the ingress node and the egress node of the traffic flow based on a pre-defined traffic flow characteristic list, and calculate a plurality of forwarding paths between the ingress node and the egress node for the traffic flow based on a network topology of an SDN forwarding domain and link states maintained by the SDN controller.
11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the rate identity setting unit is to determine the maximum flow rate of each of the forwarding paths based on bandwidth of each link on each of the forwarding paths, and set a flow rate identity for each of the forwarding paths based on an order of the forwarding paths sorted based on respective maximum flow rates of the forwarding paths.
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November 24, 2016
November 10, 2020
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